


breathe out (so i can breathe you in)

by revengeparty



Category: Mean Girls (2004), Mean Girls - Richmond/Benjamin/Fey
Genre: All-lowercase titles stress me out but new year new me, Christmas, F/F, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Regina George needs a hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-09-27 08:17:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17158508
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/revengeparty/pseuds/revengeparty
Summary: “Will you do it?” Regina asks abruptly.“Will I do what?”Regina sighs. “Cady,” she says slowly, “will you pretend to be my girlfriend at my family Christmas?”Cady stares at her, certain she’s heard wrong. “What?”





	breathe out (so i can breathe you in)

**Author's Note:**

> Merry Christmas! This was inspired by the following prompts: 
> 
> Regina x Cady where Regina's even bitchier cousin is visiting for Christmas and bringing her new boyfriend so Regina obviously needs someone to bring to family Christmas and makes Cady do it.
> 
> Cady/Regina + fake dating.
> 
> Cady/Regina + mistletoe.

Cady wakes up to a text message from Regina.

 **Regina** 😘🦁 **:** Need a ride? 

Cady looks at the clock on her nightstand. She still has an hour and a half before the homeroom bell.

 **Cady:** no that’s okay, i can take the bus

Regina lives on the other side of town; to pick Cady up would make her commute twice as long.

 **Regina** 😘🦁 **:** I’ll pick you up at 7

Cady frowns, but sometimes with Regina it’s just easier not to fight her.

  **Cady:** see you then

* * *

 

Regina pulls into Cady’s driveway at 7:00 on the dot.

“Hi,” Cady says, climbing into the passenger seat.

“Hey,” Regina replies.

Something about her seems slightly off. Regina avoids eye contact and fidgets with the necklace she’s wearing, one foot tapping against the floor.

“Not that I don’t appreciate it, but why are you picking me up?” Cady asks as Regina backs out of the driveway and turns down the residential street.

Regina licks her lips. She seems nervous.

“So here’s the thing,” Regina starts. “My cousin Taylor, who is a colossal bitch, is coming for Christmas. She’s bringing her new boyfriend, so naturally I have to have someone with me, too, or I’ll never hear the end of it. And after last year—”

Regina cuts herself off abruptly, and Cady doesn’t push, wincing. 

 “What does that have to do with me?” Cady asks confusedly.

“Well—”

Cady feels a cold ball of dread start to form in her stomach. “Are you asking me if it’s okay for you to bring Aaron? I know we broke up, but I still don’t feel comfortable with that. Plus, you’re a lesbian so I don’t know how believable that will be—”

“No!” Regina cuts her off, pinching the bridge of her nose. “God, no. I’m not asking your permission to pretend Aaron’s my boyfriend.”

“Oh,” Cady says, relaxing. “Good.”

Several beats of silence pass.

“Not to keep asking the same question, but what does this have to do with m—”

“Will you do it?” Regina asks abruptly.

“Will I do what?”

Regina sighs. “Cady,” she says slowly, “will you pretend to be my girlfriend at my family Christmas?”

Cady stares at her, certain she’s heard wrong. “ _What_?”

“You heard me,” Regina snaps, her face starting to turn red.

“Uh,” Cady says, because that’s about all she can think to say right now.

“Please?” Regina adds, so soft Cady almost misses it.

“I’ll have to talk to my parents,” Cady says.

Christmas was never really something they celebrated in Kenya beyond giving one or two gifts, but Cady knows her parents still expect her to spend the day with them.

“Great,” Regina drawls sarcastically, “your parents are going to think I’m pathetic.”

Cady shrugs. “Do you want me to do this or not?”

“Fine,” Regina grumbles. “Just don’t tell anyone else.”

“Of course not,” Cady says.

* * *

 

“You’re never going to guess what Regina just asked me to do,” Cady says to Janis and Damian as she takes her seat in homeroom.

“Help clean the dead bodies out of her closet?” Damian asks, digging through his bag.

“Kidnap ten puppies from an animal shelter to sacrifice in the woods?” Janis suggests.

“Host a book burning—”

“Guys, stop,” Cady cuts in, frowning.

Janis shrugs.

“She asked if I would pretend to be her girlfriend while her cousin visits for Christmas,” Cady whispers.

“Funny,” Damian says calmly at the same time Janis shouts, “WHAT?”

“Shh,” Cady hisses, smiling awkwardly at the students who turn to look at them curiously.

“Wait, you’re serious?” Damian asks, eyes wide.

“Why would I make that up?”

“I’m sorry, hang on,” Janis says. “ _What_?”

“Why does she need you to be her fake girlfriend just because her cousin is visiting?” Damian gives her a suspicious look, like he doesn’t really believe her.

“She said her cousin is bringing her boyfriend and if Regina doesn’t have someone she’ll ‘never hear the end of it,’” Cady says, holding up her fingers in air quotes (something she learned from Karen).

Janis bursts out laughing. “Oh boy,” she says, shaking her head.

“Cady,” Damian says gently, “I think there might be more going on here.”

“What do you mean?” Cady asks.

Damian opens his mouth to reply but is cut off by the bell.

Janis pats her on the shoulder and says, “Good luck,” before exiting the room.

* * *

 

Cady stares into space for the entirety of her AP physics class, fingers itching to text Aaron and ask if he’s ever been to George family Christmas.

She doesn’t, because his relationship with Regina is still kind of a sore spot for him—and, of course, she’d have to explain _why_ she’s asking.

Cady and Aaron’s breakup had been fairly amicable—it was clear the distance just wasn’t working for them, so they’d decided to split.

Still, their texts have dropped to a few every week or so, and their Snapchat exchanges have all but ceased.

Cady doesn’t remember everything from the PowerPoint presentation Gretchen made for her on breakups, but she’s pretty sure this is normal.

It still makes her sad, though.

The bell finally rings and Cady heads to her locker to put away her books.

“Hey.”

Cady pulls her head out of her locker and sees Gretchen standing beside her, wearing a tank top and skirt despite the fact that it snowed not even twenty-four hours ago.

“Hi,” Cady greets. “Can I ask you a question?”

Gretchen’s face lights up. “Of course. You can ask me anything,” she says, placing a gentle hand on Cady’s arm.

Cady looks around to make sure Regina isn’t anywhere in their vicinity before tentatively asking, “Do you know anything about Regina’s cousin Taylor?”

Gretchen nods. “She’s a year older than Regina. They’re super competitive with each other about _everything_. If Regina does something, Taylor has to do it, too—and better. When we were kids, Regina won a state figure skating championship. Then Taylor won a national title the next year.”

“Regina figure skates?” Cady asks as they start walking down the hall.

“She used to,” Gretchen says with a shrug. “She quit after that year.”

Cady frowns. “Why are they like this?”

“Well, they used to be really close, but…” Gretchen hesitates, seeming to consider whether she should answer the question. “Regina’s dad and Taylor’s dad are brothers and they’re really competitive with each other. They started pitting them against each other and it just made them hate each other.”

“Oh,” is all Cady can say. She knows Mr. George is a sensitive subject with Regina. Regina herself never brings him up.

“But I’m talking too much,” Gretchen says quickly, shaking her head. “Let’s talk about something else. Do you have any plans for the break?”

“Regina asked me to spend Christmas with her family,” Cady says, voice low. “Including Taylor.”

Gretchen gives her a grim look. “Good luck with that,” she says as the bell rings.

* * *

 

Cady sits at the dinner table with her parents and pushes rice around her plate, trying to figure out how to ask if she can skip Christmas with them this year. She thinks she should probably leave out the whole fake girlfriend thing.

“Are you feeling okay?” Mrs. Heron asks. “You love nyama choma.”

“I’m fine,” Cady says. “Are we doing anything for Christmas?”

Her mom frowns. “What do you mean?”

“Regina invited me to her family Christmas.”

Cady searches her parents’ faces for their reactions. Cady didn’t tell them about a lot of what went on last year, but they’ve picked up on the fact that a lot of it centered around Regina.

“You don’t want to spend Christmas with us?” Cady’s dad asks.

“It’s not that I don’t want to,” Cady backpedals. “Regina invited me for moral support. She and her dad…” She trails off, hoping that her parents will infer something sufficiently unpleasant to make them agree.

“It’s okay with me,” Mr. Heron says, always the first to crack.

“I guess it’s fine,” Mrs. Heron agrees begrudgingly, looking annoyed.

“Thank you thank you thank you!” Cady hops up and gives each of her parents a kiss.

Cady finishes her dinner quickly so she can go upstairs to text Regina.

 

 **Cady:** my parents said i can spend christmas with you!!!!

 **Regina** 😘🦁 **:** Great

 **Regina** 😘🦁 **:** Come by my house sometime tomorrow. I have something to give you.

 **Cady:** okay!!!

 

Cady pulls out her copy of _Wuthering Heights_ to try and get ahead on homework so she doesn’t have as much to do over the break, but she finds she can’t focus. Finally, she unlocks her phone and opens Regina’s Instagram, navigating to Taylor’s profile.

Taylor looks quite a bit like Regina—blond, thin, and beautiful, with a predatory, Crest Whitestrips-white smile. There are endless photos of Taylor posing with friends, carefully filtered selfies, and shots of Taylor in a cheerleading uniform or in a bathing suit on the beach in some tropical location. Cady is fascinated by this girl who seems to have an even more idyllic life than Regina.

Cady looks at herself in the mirror as she brushes her teeth that night and wonders if she’s enough—pretty enough, smart enough, socially adept enough—to take on Taylor.

* * *

 

Regina’s house looks like it could be in one of those Hallmark Christmas movies Damian is always watching during the month of December: the exterior of the house itself is draped with twinkling lights that seem almost dull against the overcast sky, and the front yard sports several light-up wire reindeer pulling a sleigh.

Cady passes a decaying snowman, its head lying beside its body on the ground, as she makes her way to Regina’s front door.

The door opens before Cady can ring the bell, revealing Regina—and scaring the crap out of Cady. ( _How does she always do this?_ Cady wonders.)

“Hi,” Cady says, pulling the sleeves of her coat over her hands as the cold bites at her fingers.

Regina’s hair is pulled back into a messy bun and she has a streak of something white on her left cheek. Cady has always been struck by how effortlessly beautiful Regina is, but she also looks tired, shoulders tense.

“Hey,” Regina greets, letting Cady into the house. It smells like a mix of cinnamon air freshener and baking cookies.

“Are you making cookies?” Cady asks, kicking off her shoes.

“Yeah.” Regina leads Cady into the kitchen, where baking supplies and cooling cookies are strewn around the counters. “My mom wants everything to be perfect.” Regina rolls her eyes.

Cady surveys the finished cookies, each neatly frosted and decorated. “They look great,” she offers.

“Thanks.” Regina wipes her hands on a towel and retrieves a pink binder full of papers from one of the chairs at the breakfast table. She hands it to Cady. “This is for you.”

“What is this?” Cady asks, examining the patterned cover.

“It’s essentially a Christmas blueprint,” Regina says seriously. “The itinerary for Christmas day, dress guidelines, information you should know as my”—Regina pauses, blushing slightly—“girlfriend.”

Despite herself, Cady laughs. “Okay,” she says, wondering what the hell she’s gotten herself into.

Regina laughs a little too, relaxing a bit. “I know it’s a lot.”

“It’s fine,” Cady assures her. “Also, you’ve got something on your face.”

“Fuck,” Regina says softly. She wipes at her face, but just ends up streaking more flour on it.

“Here, hang on. I got it,” Cady says. She carefully wipes away the white powder with a swipe of her thumb. Regina’s skin is almost impossibly soft, Cady thinks.

“Thanks,” Regina breathes.

They stare at each other for a long moment before Regina abruptly steps back and turns away.

“Okay, so I’ll see you in a couple of days,” Regina says.

“Yeah,” Cady confirms. She lingers by the entrance of the kitchen. “Do you need any help? It seems like you’ve got a lot to do.”

Regina looks around the kitchen, looking overwhelmed. “You don’t have to.”

“I don’t mind,” Cady says. She puts the binder down on the chair.

“Okay,” Regina says, brushing a strand of hair out of her face and leaving a fresh streak of flour on her forehead.

(Cady decides to ignore it. It’s actually pretty endearing.)

“I have one more batch I need to get in the oven,” Regina says seriously. She sprinkles some flour on the countertop and points to a bowl of cookie dough and a rolling pin. “Can you roll that out?’ I’ll check it before you cut out the shapes.”

Cady nods and turns on the faucet to wash her hands.

“Also,” Regina says quietly, “if it seems like I have a stick up my ass about the cookies being a certain way, my dad—” She cuts herself off. “Things have to be a certain way.”

“Okay,” Cady tells her, “whatever you need.”

“Okay,” Regina repeats, moving to the island to continue decorating cookies.

Cady rolls out the dough, and Regina gives her the go-ahead to start cutting out shapes—snowflakes and Christmas trees, to be exact.

Regina comes over to check on Cady’s progress, examining the cookies lying on the sheets.

“Pretty good,” Regina says. Then she points to one snowflake. “This one looks like shit.”

Cady rolls her eyes good-naturedly and takes it off the tray, rolling the dough again to cut a new one.

After fifteen minutes, the cookies are in the oven baking. Cady watches Regina finish decorating the cooled cookies. She carefully pipes designs, tongue poking out of the corner of her mouth as she focuses.

When the final cookie is set safely on a platter, Regina all but collapses against the counter.

“Are you okay?” Cady asks, hands hovering nervously over Regina.

“I’m fine,” Regina grits out, righting herself again. “It’s just my back.”

It’s not Cady’s fault Regina got hit by a bus, but she can’t help but feel a little flare of guilt whenever Regina’s hardened exterior cracks enough for Cady to see how much damage the bus did to her body.

“I’ll just take a hot shower and I’ll be fine,” Regina says. “I probably look like shit anyway.”

“You don’t,” Cady says. “You never do.”

Regina’s face softens for a moment before grimacing in pain again.

“I won’t keep you any longer so you can go shower and lie down,” Cady tells her, grabbing the binder.

Regina nods and starts shuffling towards the stairs. Cady follows close behind—just in case.

“Thank you,” Regina says softly as Cady puts on her shoes.

“Of course,” Cady says, wondering why it suddenly feels like there are butterflies in her stomach.

* * *

 

“What the fuck is _that_?”

“It’s—”

Damian grabs the binder out of Cady’s hands before she can stop him and flips open to the first page.

“Give it back,” Cady implores. “I don’t think Regina would want you looking at it.”

Damian waves his hand dismissively and takes the binder with him to sit on the couch, Janis peering over his shoulder.

Cady flops down into the recliner, irritated with herself for not leaving the binder in her car.

“She’s telling you what to wear?” Janis asks, incredulous.

Cady shrugs.

“Appropriate affectionate names,” Damian reads. “Babe, baby, love, dear, sweetheart—” He shuts the binder abruptly. “Cady, what the hell is this?”

“Regina made it for me so we’ll seem like a convincing couple.”

“Oh my _God_ ,” Janis laughs. “She’s making you study for this?”

 “It’s not any different than learning lines for a play,” Cady reasons, shifting uncomfortably in her chair.

“Except only one of you is acting,” Damian mutters under his breath.

“What?” Cady asks. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing,” Damian says dismissively, picking up the TV remote. “Never mind.”

* * *

 

Cady tries to put Damian’s words out of her head over the next three days as she gets her nails done and shops for an appropriate George family Christmas outfit.

She calls Gretchen for help picking out a gift for Regina—it’s not required per the binder, but Cady thought it would look odd if she didn’t have a gift for her “girlfriend.”

(Every time Cady thinks about pretending to be Regina’s girlfriend, the butterflies in her stomach erupt. She’s nervous, yes, but it’s mixed with something else she can’t really put her finger on.)

They settle on a delicate silver necklace with a small pendant and a blue topaz, Regina’s birthstone. On the pendant is engraved _C + R_.

Cady is going to be the best fake girlfriend Regina’s ever had.

* * *

 

Cady carefully navigates the icy driveway in her heels to make her way to the front door, carefully wrapped gift in one hand and flowers for Mrs. George in the other.

The door opens just as Cady is about to ring the bell, as usual—and Cady startles, as usual.

Despite it being eight in the morning, Regina is already fully dressed, hair carefully curled and makeup flawless. The fake, bright smile plastered on her face can’t mask the anxiety in her eyes, though.

“Hi, sweetie,” Cady says. The word feels weird leaving her mouth, even though she’s called Aaron that numerous times before.

This isn’t Aaron, though. This is _Regina George_. They’re friends, yes—good friends, even—but there’s always been something about Regina that has felt just out of Cady’s reach.

Regina’s smile dims to something more genuine. “Hi,” she says.

Cady isn’t sure why she feels disappointed at the lack of a term of endearment attached to the greeting.

Regina takes Cady’s coat and then examines her outfit—soft maroon sweater, dark grey skirt, black tights.

“You look nice,” Regina says finally, and Cady lets out a breath of relief.

The air smells like cooking breakfast, and Cady hears distant chatter coming from the direction of the dining room.

“I brought flowers for your mom,” Cady says.

Regina takes the flowers so Cady can take off her coat and looks pointedly at the small box, wrapped in festive paper and topped with a ribbon, in Cady’s hand.

“I got you something, too,” Cady says.

Regina’s face softens. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“I thought it would be weird if I didn’t bring something as your _girlfriend_ ,” Cady whispers, holding her fingers up in air quotes on the word “girlfriend.”

Something flashes in Regina’s eyes—disappointment?—but it’s quickly gone. “Great,” she says flatly. “Come on.” She turns away. “Breakfast is on the table.”

Cady follows Regina down the hall to the Georges’ fancy dining room. It’s always impeccably decorated, but Cady’s never seen anyone actually eat in here before.

Just outside the door, Regina stops and Cady nearly crashes into her.

“Wha—”

Regina holds out her hand. Cady stares at it for a moment in confusion before she understands, and slips her hand into Regina’s. Her hand is soft and warm, and shaking just a little.

“It’s going to be okay,” Cady whispers.

Regina takes a deep breath before leading them into the dining room.

“Oh, it’s my lovely lesbian daughter and her girlfriend!” Mrs. George chirps, jumping out of her seat to give Cady a hug.

“Merry Christmas, Mrs. George,” Cady says.

“How many times do I have to tell you to call me Sabrina?” Mrs. George asks good-naturedly.

When Mrs. George steps away, Cady surveys the table. Taylor and her boyfriend are sitting across from Regina and the empty seat Cady assumes is hers, and Regina’s aunt and uncle sit next to them. Kylie, Regina’s eleven-year-old sister, is sitting next to Regina, with Mrs. George to her left. Mr. George sits at the head, eating a piece of bacon.

Cady has only met Mr. George once, and it was brief. Regina rarely talks about him, but Cady gathers that he expects, in no uncertain terms, perfection from his daughters.

“Cady, this is my aunt Jen and uncle Rick, and my cousin Taylor and her boyfriend Kyle,” Regina says, pointing down the table.

“Hi, Cady,” Taylor says, smiling. Something about her mannerisms remind Cady of the first time she ever met Regina, when Regina stopped her in the cafeteria on her first day of junior year.

Cady sneaks glances at Taylor as she eats a pancake. She didn’t think it was possible for anyone to be as physically flawless as Regina George, but she can’t find a single imperfection on Taylor’s face.

Cady is also distinctly aware that Regina is picking apart a waffle instead of eating. She wonders if Regina is just nervous or still hyperaware of her weight, and Cady’s heart squeezes with guilt.

“So how long have you two been together?” Taylor asks.

“Three months,” Cady answers easily. It was in the binder.

“And you met at school?”

“Yes,” Cady says. “I moved here at the beginning of last year.”

Taylor’s eyes narrow. “Aren’t you the one who got Regina hit by that bus?”

“Taylor!” Taylor’s parents and Regina hiss.  

“That was not Cady’s fault,” Regina says emphatically.

Cady reaches under the table and puts a comforting hand on Regina’s leg. Regina turns to her, looking upset.

“It’s fine,” Cady whispers.

“Taylor, how did you and Kyle meet?” Mrs. George changes the subject after a moment of awkward silence.

“Kyle is on the football team at our rival high school. You could say we’re a modern-day Romeo and Juliet,” Taylor gushes, grinning at Kyle.

Regina looks at Cady and rolls her eyes and Cady stifles a laugh.

The rest of breakfast passes relatively painlessly and Regina drags Cady up to her room as soon as her mom starts clearing the table.

“I’m sorry about her,” Regina says, gesturing to the door.

“It’s okay,” Cady assures her, sitting on Regina’s bed. “You handled it well.”

“I was imagining exactly how I’d like to murder her in my head.”

“Baby steps,” Cady says.

“Regina!” Mrs. George calls. “Time for gifts. You two better not be gettin’ it on in there!”

“Mom! Gross!” Regina barks, face turning red. “Sorry,” she says to Cady.

Cady just laughs and extends her hand. “Back into the lion’s den?”

Regina smiles softly and takes her hand as they go downstairs.

* * *

 

Cady knows she’s not really the most in-touch with American Christmas culture, but she thinks the George family Christmas is a bit excessive. She’s pretty sure she’s witnessed tens—if not hundreds—of thousands of gifts being exchanged.

Kylie receives an honest-to-God pony—or, rather, the promise to go out the next day and buy a pony of her choosing.

Taylor receives no less than twenty gifts from her parents and Regina’s parents and makes a show of posting each gift to her Instagram story.

Cady is completely surprised when Regina’s parents (she suspects mostly Mrs. George) give her a gold bracelet studded with several tiny diamonds, and Regina gives her a pair of expensive-looking high heels (“Since you know how to walk in them now.”).

Midway through the gift-giving, Cady notices how Taylor is practically sitting in Kyle’s lap, whispering in his ear and pressing kisses to his lips and cheeks.

It is, frankly, kind of gross, but it also makes Cady feel like she’s slacking on her girlfriend duties.

Cady scoots closer to Regina on the couch, carefully leaning against her. She hears Regina inhale sharply.

“Is this okay?” Cady whispers as quietly as possible. Regina nods, and Cady carefully takes her hand, intertwining their fingers.

It’s weird, she notes as she absently rubs her thumb across Regina’s knuckles, to get cozy with _Regina George_. Even though Regina is her friend, Cady still thinks of her as the intimidating, unattainable queen bee in a lot of ways, but she’s eager for glimpses of the girl underneath that persona. There’s something almost thrilling about getting cozy with Regina on the couch; Cady’s heartbeat thunders when Regina turns to her with a warm, fond expression on her face.

Cady waits for an appropriate break in the gift-giving to hand Regina the small wrapped box she brought with her.

“For you,” she says.

Carefully, Regina peels back the paper and opens the lid of the box. She looks at Cady with wide eyes before looking back down at the necklace. She gently touches the pendant and the topaz, flipping the pendant over to read the inscription.

“It’s beautiful,” Regina breathes.

Cady lets out a breath she didn’t realize she had been holding.

“Will you help me put it on?”

Regina turns away and holds the necklace in front of her, waiting for Cady to take the ends and clasp them.

Cady carefully brushes Regina’s hair away from her neck. Her fingers brush against the skin underneath, leaving goosebumps in their wake.

“There,” Cady says when the necklace is secure.

Regina rubs the pendant between her thumb and middle finger. “Thank you,” she says.

Then Regina does something she’s never done: she pulls Cady into a hug.

Cady’s arms flounder awkwardly for a moment before one wraps around Regina’s waist and the other one settles on her upper back, tickled by the ends of Regina’s hair. She can feel Regina’s breath against the side of her neck. She might be imagining it, but Cady thinks she can feel Regina’s heart hammering against her chest.

Suddenly, Cady is hit with an odd urge to kiss Regina. She pulls away abruptly, startled.

“Um,” Cady says, standing up, “I’m going to go the bathroom.”

Regina nods, hurt and confusion evident on her face for a moment before she catches herself and covers it with a smile.

Cady wants to splash cold water on her face but it would ruin her makeup, so she runs her hand under some cold water and presses it to the back of her neck and stares at herself in the mirror.

She doesn’t _really_ want to kiss Regina, does she? That’s crazy. She was just feeling affection for her friend in the context of pretending to be her girlfriend and got confused.

 _That’s bullshit_ , a voice in the back of her head says, but she silences it. She just needs to get through this day.

God, she wishes she could talk to Aaron about this.

Regina is hovering nervously outside the door when Cady emerges.

“Is everything okay?” she asks.

“Of course,” Cady says.

Regina scrutinizes her face. “You sure?”

“I promise.”

“Okay,” Regina says, relaxing a bit. “Thanks again for the necklace. It’s really beautiful.”

“You’re welcome.” Cady reaches down and takes Regina’s hand. “Back into battle?”

Regina gives her a half-smile and takes her hand.

Cady’s stomach flips.

* * *

 

Everything has kind of died down by the afternoon. A fire crackles in the fireplace of the living room, wrapping paper and ribbons strewn about.

Mr. George and Rick have gone to the _other_ living room to drink beer and talk about the stock market… or something. Mrs. George is cooking in the kitchen. Cady doesn’t know where everyone else went; it’s just Cady, Regina, and Kylie in the living room, some cheesy Christmas Kylie chose movie playing on the television.

Cady notices that Regina has been shifting in her seat on the couch, grimacing, like she can’t get comfortable.

“Are you okay?” Cady asks.

“I’m fi—” Regina starts to say, then stops herself. “Actually, it’s my back. It gets all tight if I’m sitting or standing for too long.”

“What can I do to help?”

“In my purse there’s a bottle of muscle relaxers,” Regina says. “It’s in my room.”

“I’ll be right back,” Cady tells her, skidding in her stockinged feet down the hardwood floor hallway to the stairs. Regina’s purse is resting on the floor by the foot of her bed, and Cady rummages through the no less than six tubes of lipstick to find the amber bottle of pills.

Pills in hand, Cady goes into the kitchen to get a glass of water.

“Hi, honey,” Mrs. George greets. She sees the bottle of pills in Cady’s hand. “Regina’s back is bothering her?”

“Yeah,” Cady says. She pulls a glass out of a cupboard and fills it from the tap.

“Thanks, for taking care of her, honey,” Mrs. George says, smiling sadly.

Cady nods, feeling a twinge of guilt, before going back to the living room.

“Thank you,” Regina says, popping open the top of the bottle and taking two pills.

“Here.” Cady sits down and puts a throw pillow in her lap, patting it. “Lie down.”

Carefully, slowly, Regina lies down on her side, facing away from Cady.

“Better?” Cady asks.

“Yeah,” Regina says.

They don’t speak after that. Cady absently runs her fingers through Regina’s hair as she watches the movie. After a while, she realizes that Regina has fallen asleep.

For the first time all day, Cady pulls her phone out of her sweater pocket. She has a text from Janis that just says “u alive?” She answers with an affirmative.

“Is she asleep?”

Cady jumps, then checks to make sure she didn’t inadvertently dump Regina onto the floor.

She looks up and sees Taylor standing over her.

“Yeah,” Cady whispers.

“Is she… okay?” Taylor asks.

“Yeah,” Cady says again. “Her back was bothering her.”

“She must really trust you,” Taylor says, sitting down on the footstool next to Cady’s feet.

“What do you mean?” Cady asks.

“Regina’s not the kind of person who asks for help or admits she’s in pain,” Taylor says. “And I’ve never seen her fall asleep on any of her other boyfriends.” Taylor looks Cady up and down. “But you’re not a boy.”

Cady doesn’t know what to say to that.

“I know me and Regina don’t really get along, and I’m sure she’s told you what a bitch I am,” Taylor says, “but she’s been through a lot. I’m sure you know all about that.” Taylor gives her a pointed look, and Cady winces. “She looks happier with you than with anyone else I’ve seen her with.”

“Uh, thanks,” Cady says. Taylor speaks in the same to-the-point, blunt way Regina does. It’s unsettling.

“Don’t break her heart. Got it?” Taylor says seriously.

Cady nods.

“Good.”

Taylor stands up and walks out of the room.

Cady looks down at Regina, sleeping peacefully in her lap. As carefully and as gently as possible, Cady presses a kiss to the side of Regina’s head, feeling her soft hair against her lips.

She knows she’s technically not _kissing_ Regina, but it still makes butterflies erupt in her stomach.

Cady turns her attention back to the movie and tries not to think about what it means.

* * *

 

Cady awakens with a start. She blinks her eyes open and sees that it’s dark outside.

Regina, still lying in her lap, turns and looks at her. “Hi,” she says.

“Mmf,” Cady groans, wiping her mouth to make sure she hadn’t been drooling. “What time is it?”

Regina checks the time on her phone. “5:48.”

“Does your back feel better?” Cady’s voice is low and rough, and she clears her throat.

“Yeah,” Regina says sheepishly. “The pills make me sleepy. Sorry for trapping you here.”

“It’s fine.” Cady yawns.

Regina sits up and stretches, combing her fingers through her hair before flopping back against the couch next to Cady. “I probably look terrible,” she mutters, running her index fingers under her eyes to wipe off any smudged mascara.

“You look beautiful,” Cady says softly.

Regina turns and looks at her. “You do, too,” Regina says so quietly Cady probably would have missed it if she hadn’t been looking right at her.

Before she can stop herself, Cady’s gaze drops to Regina’s lips. All she has to do is move forward a few inches and she’d be kissing Regina—for real kissing her. She’s not sure how she’d justify that to Regina, though—they’re alone in the room, so Cady can’t do it under the guise of making their relationship believable.

Still, she desperately wants to kiss Regina. She wants it more than she ever wanted to kiss Aaron.

It’s kind of a terrifying feeling.

“We should—” Regina’s voice comes out low and breathy, and she pauses to clear her throat. “We should probably see if dinner is ready.”

Cady nods dumbly and takes Regina’s hand. As they walk down the hall to the dining room, Cady absently wonders what it would be like to walk down the hall at North Shore holding hands.

“Hi sweetie, we just sat down,” Mrs. George says when they enter the dining room. “Is your back better?”

“ _Mom_ ,” Regina hisses, and Cady remembers what Taylor said about Regina refusing to show any weakness.

She also remembers Regina sleeping, soft and warm, in her lap, Regina whispering that she’s beautiful in a dimly lit room, Regina spontaneously hugging her.

 _It’s pretend_ , she reminds herself. _It’s all pretend. You agreed to this_.

Cady pushes a piece of turkey around on her plate and tries not to hope that Regina isn’t that talented of an actor.

* * *

 

“It’s been lovely to have you, honey,” Mrs. George says as she hugs Cady at the end of the night.

“Thanks for inviting me,” Cady says, shrugging on her coat and waving goodbye to Regina’s family.

Regina hands Cady her scarf. “Thank you for coming,” she says quietly. “Seriously.”

“Of course.” Cady hovers in the entrance of the foyer, reluctant to leave this time and place where she gets to be Regina’s girlfriend. Finally, she turns to leave.

“Oh, girls,” Mrs. George says, a mischievous look on her face. She points at something above their heads.

Cady looks up and sees mistletoe affixed to the arch of the foyer entryway and suddenly the butterflies are back with a vengeance.

“Mom, _really_?” Regina says irritably.

“Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!” Kylie starts to chant before Mr. George shushes her.

Regina turns to Cady with a panicked look in her eyes. It would look weird if they refused; Cady remembers seeing photos of Regina kissing Aaron and Shane under mistletoe on her Instagram.

So Cady does what she’s been wanting to do all day: she kisses Regina George.

Regina’s lips are soft and sticky with lip gloss. Cady rests one hand against her cheek, her entire body feeling like it’s on fire.

 _Oh_ , Cady thinks, _this is why Aaron gave Regina another chance_.

Cady wants to press harder, push deeper, completely lose herself in the most mind-numbing kiss she’s ever experienced, but Regina pulls back after what seems like no time at all.

Cady looks at Regina—her pupils are dilated and she’s breathing hard. Her lipstick is slightly smudged, and Cady feels oddly proud that that was her doing.

It takes a moment for Cady to remember where she is—specifically that she’s being watched by Regina’s family.

“Thanks for having me,” Cady says breathlessly, struggling to focus.

She staggers to her car, head spinning, and sits in the driveway for several minutes until her breathing calms down enough to drive.

* * *

 

That night, Cady dreams about Regina—specifically, that Regina leans in to kiss her, but every time Cady tries to connect their lips Regina disappears, leaving Cady alone in an empty room.

She calls Damian as soon as she wakes up the next day.

* * *

 

“I have feelings for Regina,” Cady blurts the moment Damian opens the door to his house.

“Oh boy,” Damian says, and they head upstairs to his room.

“I think,” Cady says, pacing back and forth on the beige carpet, “that I’ve had feelings for Regina for a long time and didn’t realize it.”

Cady thinks back to junior year, when they were trying to take down Regina. Even while she acted like she hated Regina, Cady still wanted Regina to like her. She still vied for her attention with Gretchen and Karen.

“Uh, no shit,” Damian drawls.

 Cady flops down on the bed and presses the heels of her hands to her eyes. “She’d never like me back,” she says sadly.

“Why not?” Damian asks.

Cady looks at him. “She’s… she’s,” she flounders, “ _Regina George_.”

“Cady, honey,” Damian says, “I’m going to let you in on a little secret. Regina has liked you since the moment she first saw you and it’s painfully obvious to everyone but you.”

Cady sits up. “What are you talking about?”

“Um, she stopped you in the cafeteria to tell you that you were pretty, she invited you into her exclusive little clique for no apparent reason,” Damian says, ticking off his fingers, “she got back together with Aaron the second she found out you liked him, you were the first person she came out to… Do I need to go on?”

“That’s crazy,” Cady says, feeling overwhelmed. Something inside her refuses to believe that Regina could like her.

“Cady, you need to stop putting her on a pedestal.” Damian puts a hand on Cady’s shoulder. “She literally asked you to pretend to be her girlfriend.”

Cady toys with a thread on the bedspread and decides to let herself hope, just a little.

* * *

 

Cady texts Regina the next day and asks to hang out. She isn’t sure if she’s ready to confess her undying love to Regina yet, but she needs to see her. Now that Cady knows what it feels like to hold Regina in her arms and kiss her, she can’t stay away.

But Regina rebuffs her text, saying she has to watch her sister while her parents go to a party. In fact, Regina dodges Cady’s texts all week, sometimes giving her an excuse and sometimes just ignoring her without a response.

Cady tries to ignore the cold ball of dread that forms in her stomach. But at night, alone in her room, she can’t ward off the thought that Regina got a taste of how it feels to date Cady and decided she doesn’t want it.

By the time New Year’s Eve rolls around, Cady is sick with anxiety.

Gretchen is, as usual, throwing a party at her house, so Cady takes extra time to curl her hair and do her makeup. She’s positive Regina will be there.

* * *

 

Gretchen’s parties have calmed down since the disastrous party at Cady’s house last year, but Cady can still hear the thundering bass of the music from outside the house. Shivering (she left her coat in her car), she goes inside.

“Hi Cady!” Karen greets when Cady opens the front door. “You look so pretty!”

Cady smiles and gives Karen a hug. She never has to worry about double entendres with Karen; she always says what she means.

“Is Regina here?” Cady asks.

Karen nods. “Are you two in a fight?”

“What do you mean?” Cady asks nervously, frowning. “I don’t think we are.”

“Gretchen told me you went to her house for Christmas and she’s been acting weird ever since. She isn’t answering my texts or my Snapchats, even when I send her pictures of my cat,” Karen says seriously.

Cady can’t help but feel slightly relieved that she isn’t the only one Regina is icing out.

“I’m sure you’ll work it out,” Karen tells her, rubbing her arm affectionately. “Regina loves you.”

Cady freezes. “What? Did she tell you that?”

Karen shakes her head. “I just know.” She taps her temple with her index finger.

“Thanks, Karen,” Cady sighs, and makes her way through the living room, craning her neck to search for Regina. She passes Gretchen dancing with Kevin Gnapoor and waves.

Finally, Cady finds Regina in the Wieners’ larger, more picturesque living room that’s usually off-limits during parties. The ornate gold menorah is still sitting on the mantle, half melted candles unlit.

Regina is standing in front of the large bay window, staring absently at the snow-dusted backyard.

“Hey,” Cady says quietly.

Regina turns and looks at her. She looks tired. “Hi.”

“Are we okay? Did I do something wrong?” Cady asks carefully.

“No.” Regina looks away, shoulders tensing. “I’ve just been busy.”

“Are you sure? Because you—”

“I’m fine,” Regina cuts her off. “Everything is fine.”

“Okay,” Cady whispers, feeling more uneasy than before she spoke to Regina. She struggles to find something to say to remedy the situation. “Do you want to dance?”

A beat of silence passes.

“Sure,” Regina says, and she follows Cady to the source of the music at the other side of the house.

As they pass through the kitchen, Cady grabs a shot off of a tray the counter and downs it. _Why the hell not?_ she thinks.

“Hey!” Gretchen shouts to them over the music as they weave through the people to meet her. She’s still dancing with Kevin, and Karen and Marwan have also joined them.

Cady’s skin is tingling from the shot, and she jumps around with Gretchen and Karen until sweat beads at her forehead. Regina starts to loosen up, moving less stiffly, and when Cady grins at her she smiles back.

Without thinking, Cady finds herself gravitating closer to Regina, until they’re only separated by a few inches. _I could do it,_ Cady thinks. _I just have to lean in and I could kiss her again_.

“You look really beautiful tonight,” Cady says, her breath tickling Regina’s ear, instead.

She pulls back just in time to see Regina’s face fall. Regina turns away and pushes through the crowd, leaving Cady standing there, bewildered.

“What’s wrong?” Gretchen asks nervously.

“I don’t know,” Cady says, hurrying to follow Regina. She runs into the kitchen and hears the back door slam.

The air is cold and still, hundreds of stars glittering in the black sky above. Cady’s heeled boots crunch the frozen, snow-covered grass as she crosses the yard to where Regina is leaning against a tree, wiping at her eyes.

“Regina, what’s going on?” Cady’s hands flutter nervously at her sides. She so badly wants to take Regina’s hands in hers.

“You wouldn’t get it,” Regina says bitterly, and Cady realizes this is the first time she’s seen Regina cry.

“Try me,” Cady implores softly. “Tell me what’s wrong. I really love and care about you—”

“Stop!” Regina shouts. “Just stop. _Please_. It hurts too much.”

Cady blinks, confused. “What? I can’t tell you that I care about you? Why not?”

“Because it’s never going to be fake to me,” Regina half-yells, a tear sliding down her face. “I know I asked you to be my fake girlfriend and I thought I could handle it but I just can’t. So please… stop.”

Cady feels like someone dumped a bucket of ice water over her head. Was Damian right?

“You like me?” Cady breathes.

“I always have,” Regina whispers.

With a shaking hand, Cady reaches up and wipes away Regina’s tears with her thumb, hearing Regina inhale sharply. Regina’s skin is as soft and warm as it was a week ago when they were standing in Regina’s kitchen.

“I’m so glad you asked me to be your fake girlfriend,” Cady whispers. “Otherwise I might have never realized I wanted to be your real girlfriend.”

“Don’t fuck with me,” Regina says, voice shaking. “Don’t say that if you don’t mean it.”

“I mean it. I promise I mean it.” Cady reaches out and takes Regina’s hands, icy from the cold, in her own. “I’ve never felt anything like I did when I kissed you,” she confesses, “and I’d really like to do it again.”

All of a sudden, cheers erupt from inside the house.

“What’s happening?” Cady says.

Regina looks at her phone. “It’s midnight.”

Cady can see couples kissing through the glass sliding door, and turns back to Regina.

“Regina George,” Cady says, heart pounding, “can I kiss you?”

“Yes,” Regina whispers, breath hot against Cady’s mouth.

Cady presses their lips together, cupping Regina’s soft cheek. Even though it’s below freezing outside, she feels hot all over. Regina’s hands tangle in her hair, nails scratching against her scalp, and Cady feels her knees weaken.

She kisses Regina until her brain screams at her for air and she pulls away, panting.

“Regina,” Cady says breathlessly, “will you be my not-fake girlfriend?”

“Only if you’ll be mine,” Regina replies, pulling her closer and kissing her again.

Cady thinks that can be arranged.

**Author's Note:**

> Yes I named all of the OCs after people in the cast yes it's because I'm lazy


End file.
